These Presidents And First Ladies Were Born in Upstate New York

A number of U.S. presidents have been born in the Empire State.  As have their First Ladies.  In this gallery we look at the small handful of them who can claim Upstate New York as their birthplaces.

Here, we meet the only president who did not employ English as a first language (Martin Van Buren spoke Dutch at home).  We meet a U.S. president whose splendid Hudson River mansion is one of the most attended presidential birthplaces in the country and, ironically, one of the most visited presidential burial places as well (Franklin D. Roosevelt).  And we meet a United State president who was so poor as a child his family moved several times seeking work, and ultimately, his birthplace remains only in the mention of a historical marker along a remote country road (Millard Fillmore).

You will read about some United States First Ladies who were born in Upstate also.  And their historic stories are equally important.  Unfortunately, the sad story of Martin Van Buren's wife and marriage is poignant to say the least.  She died at age 35 and never saw her husband enter the White House.  He never remarried, and we include her story here as a sad tribute to the First Lady who never was.

These are all great American stories and we encourage our readers to visit some of our great presidential sites this summer.  They can include, presidential libraries, gravesites, museums, monuments, and birthplaces.